Sri Lanka scrambles against UN resolution

27 January 2014

Sri Lanka’s Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga held over 90 meetings in the past week in Geneva, reported the Daily Mirror, as he led attempts to try and thwart a resolution at the upcoming United Nations Human Rights Council Session in March.

Weeratunga, who will be leading the Sri Lankan delegation this March, reportedly met with at least 90 permanent country representatives based in Geneva, before flying off to Washington to meet with the US State Department.

His visit comes after reports that the US will lead calls for an international independent investigation into violations of international humanitarian law this March. Earlier this year, the US Ambassador at large for War Crimes, Stephen J. Rapp, visited the North-East of Sri Lanka where he toured massacre sites and outlined calls for investigations andprosecutions.

Weeratunga meanwhile dismissed those calls in an interview with Reuters, stating if an investigation were to happen "there would be huge chaos in the country”.

He also voiced against any action against the Sri Lankan Army, who the US had confirmedhad killed hundreds of families, adding,

“armed forces that liberated the country from terrorism would again be put to a judicial test. That is really going to reduce the morale of the army. These are things that need to be considered very carefully,"

Hinting at the role of India in committing human rights violations during the decades long conflict, Weeratunga went on to add,

"If there is an international investigation, the whole period has to be investigated - from the 1980s onward - which includes the two-year tenure of the Indian peacekeeping force, which will upset India, which will upset our relationship with India."